This dissertation delves into the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) naval diplomacy. It seeks to provide further understanding on the particularities of Chinese naval diplomacy, discussing trends, objectives and the aspects that make it singular. It is a longitudinal research, studying the naval diplomatic activities carried out by the Chinese navy in the years of 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020. The research draws from J.J. Widen's (2011) contribution, in order to clearly define Naval Diplomacy and to determine a methodology that allows for its systematical study. Analysing previously existing records of Chinese naval diplomatic activities, and examining reports from online news outlets, a new database is constructed for the purpose of this study. This research identifies that there is an expansion in the number and scope of activities throughout these years. It also identifies that the majority of China's naval diplomatic activities are supportive in their aim, while the preferred means are Escort Task Forces. Nevertheless, varying strategies are identified for the different geographical context. Lastly, some of the characteristics that make China's approach unique are determined to be its close integration with the broader foreign-policy mechanisms, its hierarchical...

Russia and the US have both articulated their willingness to develop a regime for counter cyberterrorism. Yet, to date, they have been unsuccessful in following through with this goal. Their failure to form such a regime can best be explained through the lens of social constructivism, and most specifically, through the concept of strategic culture, given that such an approach allows for the examination of ideological, historical, and cultural issues that have shaped the strategy choices of both countries. Russia and the US have successfully formed regimes with other countries in which issues of counter cyberterrorism come to play. Russia has entered into agreements with BRICS and with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The US has involved itself in cybersecurity regimes both with its NATO allies and with its Latin American and Caribbean allies. Russia and the US have furthermore entered into a number of agreements with each other, including the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, the Intermediate- Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and New-START. A strategic culture perspective, which focuses primarily on historical factors, such as a history of invasion or lack thereof, and the relations of both countries with their respective neighbors, reveals how the discourse of human rights and the freedoms of...

Disputes and confrontational rhetoric have characterized Greek-Turkish relations in recent years. In February 2023 a high magnitude earthquake hit Türkiye  with devastating consequences. Greece’s response was immediate and substantial despite the political enmity between the two countries, which revealed a willingness to cooperate in times of crisis. This cooperation was in fact expedited by the disaster which is why it accounts for a disaster diplomacy case.   This paper aims to test the theoretical proposition that disaster-related activities “have the possibility of catalyzing diplomatic action” (Kelman, 2012:14). This case study examines the dynamics of the two countries on three different levels before the earthquake and the ways in which disaster diplomacy has catalyzed their relations. By building on Kenneth Waltz’s well-established, three-images framework of analysis (1959), both countries have been investigated concerning their decision makers, the internal structure of the two states, as well as their international presence.   By analyzing the three images of Greece and Türkiye  it is evident that the earthquake has in fact stimulated the relations of the two countries in all three levels. The sense of urgency generated by the earthquake has created a window of opportunity for dialogue. The confrontational so far situation was abruptly disturbed by the disaster and an immediate shift in sentiment can be observed. While the findings of this research confirm the theoretical proposition that disaster diplomacy can indeed act as a catalyst for cooperation between the two countries, it also acknowledges the need for further exploration to assess the long-term potential of disaster diplomacy as a conflict resolution tool.

This research develops a new concept for people-to-people contacts, formulates a theoretical model to assess the impact of people-to-people contacts on peacebuilding, and draws theoretical modifications and explanations in the model on the basis of its empirical application on India-Pakistan conflict and Northern Ireland conflict. The new concept of interactive people-to-people contacts (IPPC) is developed and it is differentiated from the similar concepts in peace theory. Then ontological and epistemological foundations of IPPC are determined and the roots of IPPC in peace and conflict theories are traced. To empirically assess the role played by IPPC in building peace, the web approach model is developed from Lederach’s “pyramid” of peacebuilding as formulated in Building Peace (1997) and later improved in The Moral Imagination (2005). The web approach model is applied on Northern Ireland conflict to empirically test the web approach model and make improvements in the model learning from the practice of IPPC in Northern Ireland conflcit. Then web approach model is applied on two selected case studies of PIPFPD and Aman ki Asha to empirically asses the role played by IPPC in building peace between India and Pakistan. The web approach model is used to determine the stage/frame of the web process where IPPC based peacebuilding have reached so far in India-Pakistan conflict. Moreover, theoretical modifications in web approach model are drawn learning from the selected case studies and an attempt is made to find out a way forward for IPPC based peacebuilding in India-Pakistan conflict. / Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in UK

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Le recours fréquent à l'expression anglo-saxonne soft power traduit le « moment gramscien » des relations internationales dans lequel l'hégémonie symbolique compterait autant dans la balance des pouvoirs que les déterminants matériels classiques (démographie, armée, économie), (Chaubet, 2013). Dans ce cadre la culture comme mode d'influence deviendrait un enjeu stratégique par l'intervention des politiques de diplomaties d'influence devenu un nouveau champ d'affrontement des états. Dans un contexte où la question de ce qui fait puissance sur la scène internationale est posée et débattue, les politiques internationales de prestige s'envisagent en lien avec l'essor du numérique et l'émergence d'une opinion publique internationale. Ces nouveaux paramètres conduiraient à la mise en place d'une « nouvelle diplomatie culturelle de la France » (Fabius, Filippeti, 2013). Parallèlement l'hypothèse du glissement du « centre de gravité du monde » vers l'Asie, ainsi que l'histoire commune entre la France et le Vietnam, a conduit l'auteur à analyser l'évolution de la diplomatie culturelle/publique de la France dans un processus de redéfinition d'une dynamique d'internationalisation. L'auteur examine le passage d'une logique diplomatique de présence à une logique diplomatique d'influence impliquant la communication. La méthode intègre une analyse de corpus et une enquête sur le terrain (deux ans de présence au Vietnam). / ....

雖然公共外交已行之有年，但隨著科技的革新和非國家行為者的崛起等國際社會的改變，公共外交的策略與手段勢必面對一番調整與改變。對於受制於傳統政治、地理位置、權力等中小型國家，這番外交的變革所帶來的並不僅僅是挑戰，更是機會與創新。這些國家藉由這些變革，發展出獨特的外交策略並拓展其在國際領域上的影響力。而藉由提供援助和救濟、致力於維護人類福祉的人道外交，是中小型國家採取的外交手段之一。為了有進一步的探討，本研究聚焦於挪威、土耳其、和台灣做為比較案例，並分析其人道外交背景、策略、和手段。 / Public diplomacy is not a new phenomenon in the history, yet with the changing features in the 21st century, such as the rise of the non-state actors and the technology advancement, the strategies and practices of public diplomacy have also been adjusted and modified. For small and middle size states that are constrained by power, politics, or geographic location, the changing environment has brought them both challenges and opportunities. They are able to develop diplomatic strategies beyond these hindrances through concentrating resources in specific areas that best able to increase the influence and visibility on the global stage. In this regard, humanitarian diplomacy is one of the niches that small and middle size states adopt to carry out their foreign policy goals, while generating awareness and providing assistance for areas suffering from severe humanitarian conditions and political conflicts. To further the study and to shed light on how small and middle size countries adopt humanitarian diplomacy as their diplomatic niches, the three cases, Norway, Turkey, and Taiwan, are selected and compared in terms of background, strategies, and practices. The comparison indicates that different countries develop their diplomatic strategies and practices based on state’s characteristics and existing resources. However, under the notion of public diplomacy, there are still several essential requirements needs to be examined in order to “make each punch above its weight.”

The study examines SA‟s human rights diplomacy in Africa and the selected countries, namely Libya, Nigeria, the Sudan and Zimbabwe during the presidencies of Presidents Mandela and Mbeki. When SA decided to follow an ethics based foreign policy, especially in the area of human rights, it joined a number of countries who had adopted a similar approach such the United States of America, the Netherlands and Australia. These countries have an established history of human rights diplomacy which is supported by institutional and policy frameworks. The study argues that although both presidents were committed to a human rights oriented foreign policy, due to constraints that they faced in the continent human rights issues were not consistently and concertedly pursued by them, especially following SA‟s 1995 engagement with Nigeria during the term of the Sani Abacha government. These constraints led to a major shift in SA‟s human rights diplomacy. This shift entailed a move away from unilateral action to reliance on multilateral forums to deal with human rights challenges; the development of continental norms and standards, as well as strengthening continental structures; and conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction and development in Africa. This shift became evident in the content of Departmental strategic plans, and reporting both internally and externally to oversight structures such as Parliament. Hardly any proactive plans were developed to address human rights issues in any of the individual countries. Reporting to Parliament also focused on developments at a multilateral level both at the UN and AU with little coverage of human rights issues in individual countries. The use of multilateral bodies such as the SADC to address human rights issues became more pronounced, the Zimbabwean crisis being the case in point. Despite the merits of the collective approach, its value is diminished if it is undertaken to the exclusion of bilateral engagements by South African diplomats in specific countries or if gross human rights violations are not raised in multilateral bodies. Similarly, the significance of the normative framework and requisite structures cannot be doubted, but because the results of these initiatives are only realisable in the medium to long term, this approach needs to be buttressed by bilateral diplomatic engagements. During the period from 1994 to 2008, SA also engaged in a number of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction and development initiatives. These interventions averted human rights violations by securing peace as well as facilitating the development of constitutional and related frameworks to ensure the protection of human rights in the affected states. In conclusion, with the exception of Nigeria, SA hardly intervened on its own to intercede on behalf of victims of civil and political rights violations in any of the four states covered by the study. Its approach undermined its commitment to promote and protect human rights in the African continent. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2015 / Political Sciences / MA / Unrestricted

Department of Development Studies / PhD (African Studies) / There is a political conflict in Zimbabwe between the ruling Zimbabwean African National Union-PatrioticFront (ZANU-PF) and the opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Political conflict is a battle that occurs between two or more sides with different beliefs. Although Zimbabwe is a sovereign state, South Africa used a foreign policy of “quiet diplomacy” to contribute to the peaceful resolution of Zimbabwe’s political conflict. A sovereign state is a state which administers its own government and is not dependent upon or subjected to another state. Dissent in Zimbabwe centres around the land issue, land ownership, land reform, and land appropriation – problems caused as a result of parliamentary and presidential elections. Land reform led the government to introduce “Operation Murambatsvina” which was a campaign to forcibly clear slum areas across the country. The government depicted the operation as a crackdown against illegal housing and commercial activities and as an effort to reduce the risk of the spread of infectious disease in these areas. South Africa’s “quiet diplomacy” succeeded in the peaceful resolution of the Zimbabwean political conflict because the land issue was deemed legitimate; however, the methods used for land reform seem to be problematic. For a way forward, the Zimbabwean government needs to be accountable, transparent and democratic. The researcher used a qualitative research method to gather an in-depth understanding of human behaviour and the reasons that govern such behaviour. The researcher asked broad questions and collected word data from participants. The researcher used different approaches in collecting data, such as narratology, storytelling, classical ethnography and shadowing. In addition the researcher used primary and secondary sources.

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